Chapter 3. Not My Anything (3)

CC’s partner had his hand on her head, his lips pressed against hers. Bart spun back around, his gaze laced with anger and hurt. Aria’s hand appeared in front of Bart. He looked down at her. It was her turn to give him a pitiful look. He couldn’t move, couldn’t process what he’d just seen. Was it supposed to hurt so much? CC wasn’t his girlfriend. She wasn’t his anything, just like he’d said earlier. And she never could be. Not with their fathers constantly at each other’s throats.

“Who is this guy anyway?” Bart hissed, more to himself than anything. “I don’t remember him being on my list of invited guests.”

“He’s the second prince of Warlanda, the infamous war makers. Things have been pretty peaceful there lately though. We’re even in talks about an alliance with them. That’s probably why he’s here now. Word is he’s looking for a-”

Aria had been prattling on, wanting to show off that she was knowledgeable. Bart had her wanting to make a good impression. Only right before she said the word did she think that it probably wasn’t something he wanted to hear from a complete stranger.

Bart grabbed her hand, spinning her out into the crowd, away from CC, away from being able to see. He heard the crowd ooh and aah, but he didn’t turn back.

“Looking for a what, Ria?”

Bart’s voice was calm and controlled, but his eyes betrayed him. She’d already come this far. He wasn’t going to just let it be.

“A wife,” Aria conceded.

Bart blinked with a tired sigh

When next his eyes opened, the hurt was gone. Like Aria had just been with another man. She smiled, enjoying this similarity between them. It was like a secret, one more to add to the one they already shared. Aria liked her men strong and capable. Quick on their feet. Like Ethan. Like Bart. It was just like her to fall in love with the way a man was in love with someone else. She chastised herself for liking him already, despite whatever was happening with him and this other woman. Whatever had been happening for quite some time from the looks of it.

Not one to stop midway through a dance as he considered it dishonourable, Bart apologized and resumed the dance. She didn’t know if the smiles he offered her as he twirled her across the dance floor were real or not, but just then it didn’t much matter, because hers were. They were very real.

In the next few weeks as Bart prepared for his first midterms at The University of Caines, despite sealing himself off from the world, word reached him. The rumours about CC’s engagement were making the rounds.

What Bart usually considered adequate distractions, his studies and work with his father weren’t doing the trick this time. He was losing his shit, felt himself slipping at just the mention of her. Ethan and Aria were going back soon and then he really wouldn’t know what to do with himself.

With sadness and pity in his heart for his friend and the state he found himself in, Ethan came to see Bart for the last time the day before he was to leave Caines for Satis Est, his home country.

“Want to come with us to Satis Est?” Ethan asked, as they lay next to each other in the middle of the courtyard of the Arden residence, having just sparred.

“You should. We’d miss you if you suddenly weren’t around,” said Aria, laying herself down on the other side of Bart.

Bart had never sparred with or hit a woman before. The latter was still true. That didn’t stop Aria’s fist connecting with his face though. It was supposed to be a three-way fight, but they ended up ganging up on him.

“I bet you would. Does Satis Est not have punching bags then?” Bart snorted.

The siblings shared a sinister laugh.

Aria came closer and laid her head on Bart’s outstretched arm. She kept doing things like that. One moment Aria was Ethan’s kid sister, just hanging out with them and the next she was flirting with Bart. He didn’t know what to make of her. One thing he now did know though, was that she was stunning. CC had gotten into Bart’s head like she always did, but now he thought he was a fool for missing it the first time. Maybe it was just spending more time with her, or having more one on one time with her or because they had so much in common. Either way the more time he spent with her, the more attractive she became to him.

“I’d miss you,” Aria said meaningfully, winking at him.

She jumped back up and squatted in front of Bart, her face hovering over his as she reached out for his slightly swollen cheek. His serious, stern eyes met her playful, fearless ones. More than anything, it was her fierce eyes that got to him. The way she looked at him. Bart couldn’t lie, it felt good to have someone show interest in him. Someone that he could actually have. Someone that saw him, not a man who should have been a prince but wasn’t.

“Again, sorry about that,” she said with a grinned before walking away.

Bart returned her grin with an affectionate smile as he sat up to watch her leave. Ethan looked between them suspiciously.

“What?” Bart asked, catching Ethan’s eye.

It wasn’t that Ethan had a problem with the flirting exactly. Aria just had this habit of picking guys that were unavailable. And this man, this great guy that he would give his sister’s hand to in a heartbeat, was very much unavailable. Still, Ethan had been the one to push them together in the first place. Maybe there was hope for them yet if Bart agreed to come away from Caines.

“I mean I’d miss you too, if it matters,” Ethan grinned, laying his head down against Bart’s arm, mimicking his sister’s actions.

“Piss off,” said Bart, pushing Ethan away as they shared a chuckle.